The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families

Building on previous episodes about the hero's journey, today Connor and Brittany talk about how you can be both hero and villain.

Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookie season, but there is more in those boxes than just delicious cookies. In fact, Girl Scout Cookie season can teach us a lot about an economic term called "scarcity."

There is a common belief that men earn more than women. But is this really true, or is there more to this story than mainstream economists and politicians would have you believe?

From both the federal and state governments, the gig economy is under attack. But what is the gig economy and why is it so important?

Legos are one of the world's most cherished toys. But the untold story of the inventor of Legos is one of entrepreneurship and innovation.

When someone breaks the rules, or the law, they should understand the rule or law they are breaking, right? Well in some cases people have been given criminal convictions for breaking laws that they didn't even know they were breaking.

With so many businesses shutdown, the U.S. economy is struggling. But while so many people want to blame the virus for the economy, it was the government who caused it to tumble.

One of the most courageous heroes in American history is Harriet Tubman, who used the Underground Railroad to bring free over 300 slaves. Today, Connor and Brittany share her story.

With COVID Vaccines now being distributed, many government officials are talking about "vaccination passports," paperwork that would restrict a lot of our daily activities UNLESS we can prove we have been vaccinated? Should vaccines be mandatory, and is that even constitutional?

People make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are more severe than others and because of all the laws in our country, some result in nonviolent offenders spending years in jail and struggle to find jobs when they reenter society. But entrepreneurship is giving former offenders a second chance at a prosperous life.

We are often made to think that some jobs hold more dignity than others. While it is true that some careers are more profitable than others, there is dignity to be found in hard work, no matter what your line of work might be.

Today Brittany and Connor discuss "voluntaryism," a belief that all transactions between human beings should be voluntary and done without force from other individuals or institutions, like government.

Today, Connor and Brittany talk to Anna Martin, mother and homeschooler extraordinaire.

Today Connor and Brittany discuss one of our favorite entrepreneurs of all time: Elon Musk.

The Greatest Showman might be a fun musical movie, but there are a lot of lessons we can learn from the film, including the power of entrepreneurship.

Love to write? Want to make money doing it? Both Connor and Brittany have been able to turn their love of writing into careers. Today they share some tips on building a fruitful career as a writer.

From both the federal and state governments, the gig economy is under attack. But what is the gig economy and why is it so important?

The era of COVID, we are being told constantly to wear a mask. In fact, some places have even made laws forcing individuals to wear them. But are mask mandates really constitutional?

Have you ever noticed how in many movies, the capitalists are always the bad guys? Why is the market always demonized while "socialism" and other "isms" are seen as virtuous?

What happens when you continue a pursuit you've invested a lot of time in, when that pursuit stops giving you meaning or value? Some people think you should stick with it, but this is a logical trap known as the "sunk cost fallacy."

Over the last several decades, the word "liberalism" has lost its meaning. In fact, it's often associated with progressives. But before the term got hijacked, what did it really mean? Today, Connor and Brittany explain what "classical liberalism" means.

To live in a world that is truly free, we have to be able to take personal responsibility for our actions. If we don't want to be ruled by a tyrannical government, we need to step up and show that we can take care of ourselves and our communities.

Socialism isn't just a threat to individual liberty, it's also a threat to people's well being. In fact, the economist Ludwig von Mises believed that believing in socialism can actually make people miserable.

Today, Connor and Brittany tell the story of a true American hero: Booker T. Washington.

Foundation for Economic Education's director of content joins Connor and Brittany today to tell us what superheroes can teach us about liberty.

On today's episode, Brittany and Connor talk about the legendary economist, Ludwig von Mises.

People like to make a big fuss over federal politics, but local politics is just as exciting and even more important. The actions taken by local governments have a bigger impact on your day to day life than national politics so it is exceedingly important to be informed and get involved.

Are individuals living in civil society obligated to give up their liberty for the security of government? According to some people, yes. This belief that society forces us to exchange freedom for safety is centered on something called the "Social Contract," and it's a rather controversial topic.

History is filled with examples of courageous heroes who have defended liberty and stood up for what was right even when they faced great opposition. Today, Connor and Brittany talk about Zora Neal Hurston, one of the first female libertarians who helped pave the way for the movement we have today.

Today, Connor and Brittany discuss our favorite family friendly movies with liberty themes.

The story of Robin Hood is a classic story many families know. Today, Connor and Brittany talk about this story in depth and explain why Robin Hood's " Rob the rich to feed the poor" mantra often gets him unfairly pegged as a socialist when he is, in fact, an individualist hero.

With all the rules governments make today, it's becoming extremely hard for innovators and entrepreneurs to do what they do best. But what if we stopped asking for permission and instead, practiced something economists call "permissionless innovation?"

Today, Connor and Brittany talk to Scott Donnell, a serial entrepreneur who is giving families and kids the tools they need to start their own businesses.

All throughout history there are examples of free market capitalism helping to combat racism. While many people think only the government can protect us against racial injustices, the market is the true instigator of social change because it helps change the hearts and minds of the people.

Some parents might think it sounds crazy to send their nine-year-old to ride the Subway alone in New York City. But Lenore Skenazy, once dubbed the "worst mom in America" dared to trust her son and give him independence. She armed him with all the information and supplies he needed and not only did he get home safely, this incident also helped spark a movement that encourages parents to give their children more independence.

The world is unfortunately filled with unkind people. And sometimes, those people choose to bully others. Sometimes this is mean kids on the playground, sometimes its politicians. Either way, the non aggression principle can teach us a lot about dealing with bullies.

These days, everyone seems to want to protect young people from unpleasant experiences. But we've coddled young people so much, many don't know how to deal with hardships when they arise. Today Brittany and Connor discuss why it's important to to face challenges in life, instead of running away from them.

The American education system isn't what it used to be. Instead of encouraging individualism and critical thinking skills, schools have become production lines where kids are taught to all think the same things and hold the same opinions. But how did things get so bad? Today Connor and Brittany discuss what went wrong in our American education system.

Each person has unique talents and abilities that they can share with the world. But sometimes, we can even use our talents to help make a difference in the world. Today, FEE's Sean Malone joins us to talk about how he uses his music and video production skills to help change the world.

A lot of people today have adopted the view that a person has the right to not be offended by other people's words. But the First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech, even if that speech might be deemed offensive today.

It's become very easy these days to believe that we can't be friends with those we disagree with. But our country is full of friendship that overcame the odds and withstood great differences. Today, Brittany and Connor talk about two great American friendships, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia and Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

People everywhere seem to be obsessed with the idea that people today are worse off than at any other point in history. Whether they speak of political divides or poverty, people have become obsessed with doom and gloom. But are things really as bad as people think they are? The answer might come as a pleasant surprise.

Tuttle Twins fans might be familiar with the book "Search for Atlas" but some might not know that this book was inspired by a book called "Atlas Shrugged" written by a woman named Ayn Rand. On this episode, Brittany and Connor explain who Ayn Rand was and why she was such an important public figure.

On past episodes, we have talked about property rights and why they are so important. It's not too hard to understand who owns a piece of physical property, but what about ideas? Does one single person own an idea, or is intellectual property, as it is sometimes called, an entirely different kind of property?

Who is F.A. Hayek? Tuttle Twins readers might remember him from the Road to Surfdom book, but why is he so important? Today, Connor and Brittany talk about this brilliant economist and why his legacy is so important to economic and individual liberty.

There is no real way to escape living under some sort of government.

All throughout your life, you will be confronted with negative feedback. But criticism doesn't have to be a bad thing. Learning how to take critical feedback is critical to earning where we need to improve in all sorts of areas in our life. Today, Connor and Brittany talk about how you can put a positive spin on seemingly unpleasant conversations.

Collectivism, and specifically socialism, are threats to individual liberty. In order to understand how we can combat these destructive ideas, we need to understand where they came from. Today, Connor and Brittany profile Karl Marx, the father of socialism and author of "The Communist Manifesto."

The Great Depression was one of the worst economic downturns in human history. But to ensure that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past, we have to understand how we got ourselves into this mess in the first place. On today's episode, Connor and Brittany explain the events that led to this historic economic depression and how we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Getting a good job is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your financial prosperity. Today Connor and Brittany give listeners some advice on how they can prepare for their future careers now and give some helpful tips on crushing a future job interview.